Fuel blower and pulverizer.



J.2. 0 9 ml ...L

FUEL BLOWER AND PULVEBIZER.

(Application lecl Muy 28, 1900.1

(No Model.)

Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON F. WILLIAMS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILLIAMS PATENT ORUSHER AND PULVERIZER COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI,

A CORPORATIONv OF MISSOURI.

FUEL BLOWER AND PULVERIZER.

SI-ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 71 1,688, dated October 21, v1902.

Application filed May 28, 1900.y Serial No. 18,243. (No model.)

To a/ZZ 1072/0771/ it Wty concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON F. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residingin the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have inventedacertain new and useful Improvement in Fuel Blowers and Pulverizers, of which the following is a full, clear, and.exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the Io same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which- Figure l is an elevational View showing my improved fuel blower and pulverizer operating in connection with a cement-kiln, the'kiln being in section; and Fig. 2 is a sectional View through my improved fuel blower 'and pulverizer, showing the same in operative relation to a boiler-furnace.

zo This inventionV relates to a new and useful improvement in a fuel pulverizer and blower, the object being to construct a machine which will disintegrate or pulverize the fuel into a finely-divided state, the pulverzing appara- 2 5 tus also serving as a blast-fan to blowthe fuel into the furnace. The blower Asupplies sufficient `oxygen to support complete combustion, and by heating the pulverized fuel 4o In the drawings I-have shown myimproved pulverizer and blower in connection with a rotary kiln for burning cement, Fig. 1, and in Fig. 2 ink connection with an ordinary boiler-furnace. This kiln and this furnace are so Well understood that I will give no detailed description of the same here; but with respect to the operation of the cement-kiln I will state that the stack is located at the rear and the cement to be burned is intro- 5o duced at the rear end, the kiln being rotated at an inclination, feeding the cement toward the front end oppositethe direction of the draft of the burning fuel through the kiln. A down-spout is arranged at the front end of the kiln, through which the ce- 55 ment clinker falls. In practice where my improved blower and pulverizeris used either with a cement-kiln,y boiler-furnace, or 'any other kind of a furnace a starting-fire is rst built, preferably by'burning' shavings and-6o wood, after which the blast of fuel is introduced thereupon or thereover.

In the drawings, A indicates the casing, and B a suitable cover, which may be hinged or bolted to the casing. O indicates a shaft mounted in the casing, said shaft carrying hammer-supports o,`in which are pivotally mounted the revolving beaters-or hammers D, said hammers preferably having enlarged striking-heads d. y 7o E indicates a concentrically-arranged grinding-surface which cooperates-with the hammers, said grinding-surface being preferably composed of transversely-arranged bars or rods e, which, as shown, are close together throughout the bottom and a portion of the top of the housing,the bars composing the forward upper end of thisgrinding-surface being spaced a little distance apart.

F indicatesa breaker-plate tangentially ar- 8o ranged with respect to the grinding-surface, said breaker-plate being located at the forward end of the machine and by its inclination presenting the material toV be actedy upon by the hammers .in such manner that the material is initially disintegrated or broken while on the breaker-plate and before it is received by the grinding-surace'for final comminution.

Gr indicates a feed-roller arranged above the breaker-plate, the said feed-roller having 9o a gear-wheel g conjoined thereto, which gear meshes with a pinion g', drivengby a belt g".

H indicates a feed-hopper arranged above the feed-roller, into which may be led a spout from some suitable source of supply, (not shown,) or the material to be reducedlmay be introduced into said hopper by hand, asliding cover h being provided for this purpose,

The upper portion of the housing, or what Ihavc designated as the coverB, is of larger Ioo diameter than the grinding-surface in order to provide a space b beyond the grinding-sur face, said space continuing forward to an inturned defiecting-lip Lwhich forms the front wall thereof, and which deflecting-lip tends to direct the current of air and carries particles of material inwardly toward the hammers. Back pressure is thus taken from the feed-roller and, on the contrary, a suction is created which tends to draw the material delivered by the feed-roller toward the action of the hammer.

J indicates a bell-mouth formed on the cover B, from which bell-mouth leads a dischargepipe K, said discharge-pipe through said bell-mouth being in communication with the space b. This pipe K may lead to a separator,where the heavier particles are returned to the machine and the finer particles separated, or it may discharge directly into a storagebin,whence the finished particles may be delivered to any point desired. As shown in the drawings, pipe K leads directly into a rotary cement-kiln, Fig. l, and in Fig. 2 into a fire-chamber of a boiler-furnace.

In operation slack-coal or coal reduced in tiueness sufficient to be handled by the rotary feeding device is introduced into the hopper IfI and fed down onto the breaker-plate by the feeding-roll G. The revolving hammers here operate upon the material, initially crushing or breaking it into line particles, after which it is carried ont-o the concentric cage or grinding-surface and pulverized. As the pulverulent material is carried around part of it is forced through the cage-bars into the space ZJ, those particles which are too large to be forced between the bars being carried onward and reduced. Any large particles which are carried around opposite the large space between the bars at the upper forward end of the grindingsurface will not pass therethrough, because momentum carries the particles across said space and into the current of air directed inwardly by the deflectinglip. I have found by actual practice that if three or four bars were removed from the forward upper end of the grinding-cage the inturned current of air would be sufficient to carry the larger particles back into the machine, thus preventing their escape into the bellmouth opening and through the discharge-pipe K. The bars, which are arranged close together to form the space b, will, due to inequalities in manufacture, permit finelydivided material to pass therebetween into said space, and of course where the material passes between the bars air will likewise pass through. The bars being spaced widely apart opposite the bell-mouth opening will not only permit the air to pass through said space into the bell-mouth opening, but also the finelydivided material-the heavier particles of material jumping across the spaces between the bars by momentumand the circulation of air within the housing, as before described. The air and finely-divided particles of material thus passing radially into the bell-mouth opening will induce the air and finely-divided particles of material in space b to be drawn into the bell-mouth opening. As the walls of this space, which I have designated the bell-mouth opening of the discharge-pipe, converge at their upper ends or present a smaller area at the discharge-point than near the cage-bars, all of the air in the bell-mouth opening cannot escape through the contracted portion, and therefore a back pressure is eX- erted,which back pressure will escape through the easiest path, which is forwardly and inwardly along the lines defined by the cover and the deliecting-lip. This inturned current of air is utilized to carry the heavier particles back into the machine for further action by the hammers on the grinding-surface at the bottom.

In order to supply air the sides of the cover B next the shaft are provided with openings b', the available area of said openings to be regulated by vertical movable slides b", arranged in suitable guideways and controlled by threaded rods 19". Sprocket-wheels 19" are mounted on the upper ends of these sprocket-rods, over which a sprocket-chain passes, whereby the rods may be rotated in unison and a uniform adjustment made with respect to the slides. In this manner more or less air may be admitted to the machine for the purpose of regulating the blast and also for the purpose of regulating the supply of oxygen to support combustion. This regulation ofair-supplyisincreased ordiniinished, according to the quantity of fuel fed into the machine and the nature of said fuel.

As most bituminous fuel contains moisture, which when the fuel is finely divided causes i-t to cake, it is necessary to provide means for preventing the machine from choking. I therefore arrange a steam-jacket B at the back of the cover, whose heat is radiated into the space b. The bottom of casing A under the cagebars is also preferably imperforate and formed with a steam-jacket A' for the purpose of heating the material while it is being ground on the lower cage-bars. The heat thus radiated into the machine serves a double purposemiirst, to dry the fuel while it is being ground, driving off the hydroscopic moisture to a great extent, and, secondly, to heat the air in the machine as well as the linelydivided particles of fuel. When the heated fuel is blown into the kiln or furnace through the medium of heated air, combustion takes place much nearer the point of discharge of the pipe K than would be the case were cold air employed. In fact,the temperature of the pulverizer and blower or the pipe K could be raised to such a degree that slow combustion would take place therein,the combustible gases, dac., being discharged into the kiln or furnace in a burning state.

I am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device can be made IIO and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with acasing having an imperforate bottom and a suitable inlet, of a grinding-surface formed by transversely-disposed bars arranged in a concentric series and close together, the bars at the upper portion of the casing being arranged at a short distance away from the top Wall of the casing to form a space between said bars and top wall, and a discharge-pipe leading from said space, the bars adjacent to the point of discharge being more widely spaced than the other bars of the grinding-surface, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a casing, of a concentric series of bars forming a grinding-cage, the bars in said cage being arranged close together, and the top wall of the casing above the cage being separated therefrom to form a space outside the bars, a discharge-pipe leading from the forward end of said space, the bars adjacent to said discharge-pipe being widely spaced apart, and an inturned deflecting-lip forming the front wall of said space and extending inwardly beyond the widelyspaced bars, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a casing A and cover B therefor, of pulverizing means in the casing comprising rotary beaterarms, a concentrically-arranged grinding-surface extending around the interior of the cover, said grinding-surface being closed at its bottom and provided with a series of outlet-passages at its top, and being separated from the wall of the cover by a space b, and an outlet-pipe J leading from the space b through the wall of the cover and to a point exterior thereto, substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a casing, of a shaft carrying hammers, a concentric grinding-surface which is interrupted at one point, an imperforate plate arranged under the lower portion of the grinding-surface and serving to prevent the escape of the material through the grinding surface, a cover arranged over the upper portion of the grinding-surface and providing a space or chamber for the nished material, which space communicates with the pulverizing-chamber by means of numerous small openings through the grinding-surface, a discharge-pipe leading from said chamber or space at the top of the machine, a breaker-platearranged atvthe point of interruption of the grinding-surface, a hopper above said breaker-plate, and means for feeding material from said hopper onto said breaker plate; substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a casing, of a ing from said space or chamber for conduct-v ing off the finished material, and a deflectinglip formingthe front wall of said space or chamber for directing theair-current and particles of material from the space,back into the machine; substantially as described.

6. In -an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a casing, of a shaft carrying hammers, a concentric grinding-surface composed of transverselydisposed bars arranged close together, said bars being interrupted at one point, ak breakerplate at the point of interruption, an imperforate plate arranged under the lower portion of said grinding-surface and serving to pre-` vent the escape of the material through the grinding-surface, and a cover arranged over the upper portion of said grinding-.surface and providing a space or chamber for the reception of the finished material which space communicates with the pulverizing-chamber by means of spaces between the adjacent bars, and a discharge-pipe leading from said space or chamber, the bars of which grinding-surface is composed being spaced widely apart opposite said discharge opening; substantially as described.

7. The combination with a grinding-surfac consisting oftransversely-disposed bars arranged close together, pivoted revolving hammers cooperating with said bars, a breakerplate which is tangentially disposed to the IIO bars, and upon which the material to be fed into the machine is placed, a casing in which said grinding-surface and breaker are mounted, said casing forming a space therebetween vand the bars at the top ofthe machine, the discharge-outlet of the machine leading from the space, the bars opposite said discharge-outlet being more widely spaced than the other bars of the grinding-cage, and a delecting-lip arranged in advance of said discharge-outlet and substantially above the breaker-plate;`

substantially as described.

8. The combination with a casing, of a concentric series of bars forming a grinding-cage,

the bars in said cage being arranged close together, a wall for closing the space between .the bars at the bottom of the cage, the casing wardly beyond the widely-spaced bars; substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with the casing, of a shaft, revolving hammers carried by said shaft, a concentric grinding surface with which said hammers coperate, a cover arranged above said grinding-surface so as to provide a space or chamber for the nished material, said space communicating with the pulverizingchamber by means of numerous small openings through the grinding-surface, a discharge-pipe for conducting off material from said space, and an inturned deiectinglip which forms the front Wall ot' said space, or chamber, whereby circulating air and material in the front end of said space, which is not drawn off through the discharge-pipe, is directed back into the machine; substantially as described.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a casing, of a shaft mounted therein, revolving hammers carried by said shaft, a grinding-surface composed of a concentric series of bars, said grindingfsurface being interrupted at one point, a breaker-plate located at the point of interruption, an imperforate plate for closing the spaces between the bars in the lower portion of said grinding-surface, a cover providing a space or chamber outside of the grinding-surface at the top of the machine, a discharge-pipe leading from said space, the bars of the grinding-surface opposite said discharge-pipe being spaced Widely apart, an inturned deflecting-lip forming the front wall of said space or chamber and in juxtaposition to said widely-spaced bars, and an openingin the casing near the shaft,for admitting airinto the apparatus; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 24th day of May, 1900.

MILTON F. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

WM. I-I. SCOTT, A. S. GRAY. 

